Advancing sustainable solutions to material poverty through church missions.
The North American Church is losing ground in attendance, influence, credibility and virtually every other category that really matters. In this day and age, many see the church as the hope of the world only as it “proves” itself in practical ways that touch the everyday needs of everyday people. But that’s not a cry for more traditional forms of charity or the missionary model of the past 200 years. Instead, thoughtful people, from Millennials to Boomers, are looking for churches that have moved from simply doing good things to solving real problems in lasting ways. Churches that invest in this kind of mission work become more helpful in lifting people out of poverty and better partners to ministries on the frontlines. They also become more relevant and credible to their community, more fulfilling to both pastor and people, and more appealing to those on the margins looking for a reason to attend a church.
Our mission is to help churches reframe their missions and charitable work around sustainable solutions and create room for business-minded people who can help that happen. Our annual SATtalks and other resources highlight some of the most innovative churches and faith-based ministries around the world working to move missions in this direction. We do this because the Church needs the stories of early pioneers and innovators to inspire and help us see what could be!
Tom Bassford, Founder/President | Significant Matters & SATtalks
The Co-OP Q&A | Tom Bassford & James DeLisle
The Co-Op is a faith-based initiative of Kansas City area churches working together to bring about transformation at the neighborhood level. The initiative’s strategy is based on working with community leaders within a neighborhood inside of four catalytic program areas: housing, economic development, cradle-to-career education, and health and wellness services. The idea of the Co-Op began as a conversation in 2006 as a way for churches across the Kansas City area to explore and create new models of working together, models that could contribute to neighborhood revitalization and sustainable community development. We have learned many lessons along the way. Maybe [...]
Moving the Development Needle by Cayce Stapp | Church of the Resurrection |
Cayce takes an in-depth and honest look at lessons they are learning in building better partnerships with the churches and ministries they are partnering with both locally and around the world. Cayce Stapp is Pastor for Domestic and International Mission at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. He joined the staff in 2010 having served as the Lead Pastor of Friendship United Methodist Church in North Carolina. Cayce has a Master of Divinity from Duke University and an International MBA from USC. Prior to entering the ministry, he was a Vice President in Corporate and Government Banking for over [...]
From Survivability to Sustainability by Steve Weber | Heart to Heart, Intl.
Heart to Heart International - A Relief Organization Championing Sustainable Solutions We imagine a world in which every person has access to a healthy life and every community has the capacity to make that access a reality. We believe that sustained access to health sets the foundation for individual and community development. In everything we do, we work to broaden access to healthcare services and build capacity for health. It’s a lofty vision, but we take a step closer to it every day through support from people like you.
Partnering For Sustainable Communities by John Quinn | Sinapi Foundation
What if we could bring together service organizations that are the best and most admired and specializein a critical area of support, and integrate them together to support individual and community development with a goal of self-sustainability? The Sinapi Foundation was established to foster partnerships and integration of best practices in support of communities seeking self-sustainable and individually empowered development.
Marketplace and Ministry Working Together | Panel
Panel discussions at SATtalks give us a chance to look into some of the big issues that touch on church missions and sustainability. Sometimes we’re just talking about one of the “elephants in the room.” Sometimes we’re trying to bring some clarity to a particular subject or find the common threads for all of us. Marketplace and Ministry Working Together is an open conversation about the challenges, possibilities and need for marketplace and ministry leaders to find new ways of working together in the space of church missions. The ideas and new solutions to help people lift themselves out of [...]
The Big Idea by Tom Bassford | Significant Matters
Tom answers the question, “How do we enter into the conversation that’s going on in our world today around sustainable solutions?” This is the Big Idea. Tom Bassford President | Significant Matter
